Cianan’s Column: GW16: Transfers here, there & everywhere

Firstly, this week’s column can only begin one way, with a thank you to Manchester United midfielder Fernandes. GW15 was one of my worst weeks in FPL history, a sentiment many would share, and yet his 18-pointer saved us from the brink of outright destruction. The Portuguese maestro is still worth bringing in this week, so if you fancy rearranging funds with your brand-spanking new five free transfers, he’s certainly one to consider.

Tackling this week’s discussion in order of transfers in this round, Foden is just as attractive an asset as United’s captain. 14.6 points per game in his last three, the City winger is in the form of his life, with unusually consistent minutes to boot. No wonder he’s risen so rapidly in price, from the mid-£7.0m price point to £8.6m within the blink of an eye, and yet it’s hard to say he isn’t good value even at this more expensive cost. It’s not too late to jump on this gravy train, folks. We all wish we had boarded earlier, but it seems like too big a risk right now to go without the Citizens’ number 47.

Thiago is easy to recommend this week, too. Despite blanking against Spurs (A) last weekend, he’s still the second-highest scoring forward in the league, only trailing behind (you guessed it) Haaland. Brentford face Leeds (H) and Wolves (A) next, and it’s hard to get a more tantalising fixture run than that, plus Thiago takes penalties, all for the (relatively) low price of £6.9m.

The next most-purchased player for GW16 is Guimarães of Newcastle, but this seems like an odd time to bring him in, and the same goes for Dewsbury-Hall of Everton. Sunderland (A), Chelsea (H), and United (A) are the next three games for the Toon, with the Toffees facing Chelsea (A) and Arsenal (H) in their next two. Both midfielders have a lot of potential, evidenced by their combined 26 points in GW15, but they’re stepping into a minefield of extremely difficult fixtures. Hence, it’s wise to hold off this week.

For Guimarães, GW19 appears like a great jumping-on point ahead of Burnley (A), the same opponent whom he scored against last weekend. Plus, the fixtures are great for Newcastle in the subsequent weeks, with a particularly promising game against Wolves in GW22. For Dewsbury-Hall, transferring him a week earlier for GW18 seems best, when Everton also play Burnley (A), followed by a particularly promising game against Wolves in GW21. While I’ve intentionally duplicated the wording here to highlight Newcastle and Everton’s weirdly overlapping fixtures, it really shows how great both players could be if you get them in your team at the right time. It’s just that GW16 doesn’t seem like that time.

There’s likely to be a lot of uming-and-arring over captaincy this week, and it’s understandable why. Honestly, I can’t decide myself. Saka clearly has the best fixtures (Wolves (H)), but isn’t nearly as explosive as Haaland and has less minutes security (may be more likely to be subbed early). The Norwegian has, however, disappointed recently, having blanked in three of his last four. Plus, Crystal Palace (A) isn’t an easy fixture. In a truly unhelpful fashion, all I can say is take your pick. Neither option is wrong, and it’s impossible to tell which is right.

Rapid recommendations

● Be careful about bringing in AFCON-bound players for GW16 (such as Mbuemo or Ouattara). You’ll need to transfer them out by GW17.
● It’s worth having at least a double, if not a triple up, on Arsenal for Wolves (H) this week. Saka is their best attacker, and Timber probably their best defender, though Hincapié is a brilliant cheap option given their injury issues.
● Villa have tough fixtures over the next four gameweeks, so I’m not sure why so many people are bringing in Cash and Rogers.
● Andersen and Jiménez of Fulham have outstanding upcoming fixtures: Burnley (A), Forest (H), and West Ham (A). They’re strong options for fixture-chasing.
● Fancy an affordable differential punt for GW16-18? Look no further than Fulham’s Wilson; four goal involvements in his last three matches with the brilliant fixtures mentioned above, and only £5.3m with 2.3% ownership.

The Boar standings

1st: Dwight Club (924) – managed by Cianan Sheekey
2nd: parths11 (894) – managed by Parth Malik
3rd: Jimall Lascelles (877) – managed by Jamie Pakes